2015 Christmas Compilation

As has now become an annual tradition at Idol Features, here are some ladies who we've interviewed and featured throughout the last couple of years and were gracious enough to send us photos of themselves dressed in the spirit of the occasion. Above is horror hostess Lilith Death (played by the lovely Jessica Felice, who will be seen further on in this article) in a still from the Tales of Horror Christmas Eve Special. Catch it Thursday, December 24th at 8:00 PM Eastern on Tales of Horror TV, exclusively at Vimeo on Demand. Merry Christmas!

Vida Ghaffari

As one of the top entertainment journalists in Hollywood, as well as an actress herself, Vida Ghaffari feels equally comfortable on either side of interview mic. She's covered film premieres, red carpet events, and shows all around Hollywood, interviewing everyone from small business owners to A-list celebs, including some Iranian personalities in Farsi, which is her mother tongue. She's also covered quite a few eminent fashion shows of top Hollywood designers, often while wearing their creations.

Although she enjoys hosting and conduction interviews, Vida is currently focused more toward her acting career. Her credits on the small screen include Green Manor, It Casting, and The Mindy Project, in which she appeared in the pilot episode. Filmwise, some of the titles on her list are the short Cross My Heart, Grunder Oakley Productions' Natural Born Filmmakers, and Mark Savage's highly anticipated Circus of Dread, which has been causing a buzz around the indie horror community, preceding its release. Vida's been the voice behind many commercials and animated films, as well. Notably, the 2014 comedy short Lovesick Fool - Love in the Age of Like, in which she worked with Dominic Polcino, one of the top animation directors in the business.

It's no surprise Vida's become a prominent name the Los Angeles entertainment community and has been recognized for her endeavors. This past June, she was honored with an award from the West Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce for her outstanding work. More recently, she was the recipient of an entrepreneur award from The World Networks, and of course, she granted Idol Features the following interview. Above photo courtesy of Vida herself.

Cherry Bomb: From T&A to TNT!

I'm Geo Brawn, and I'm a screenwriter, a painter, a voice actor, and a graphic novelist. That last part is what I'm here to talk about. The creations of a single sexy character that created an entire universe for me.

Original Cherry Bomb drawing

See, once upon a time, I worked as a phone rep supervisor for a now defunct cable company, and there was this one friend of mine there who was having a particularly bad day ... and all I could do to help was draw her as this sexy goth-looking super hottie, I saw her as ...(the image at right)

Well, it did the trick and changed her day, but what I didn't know at the time is that this little goth vampire hottie with long pig-tails and a snarky attitude, was going to change my life. As I said, that company was going out of business and after eight years I was looking at the certainly of unemployment. But it made me start creating her more and more, and then thinking about the world she would live in... and so I did, I started creating other characters and creatures galore. And then stories. I needed stories and adventures for this sexy lil creation to go on.

And so the idea for my first venture into comic books, "Blood Rites" came to be. But, this story wold be put on the back burner until the first book of this series could make it's way and it was a much better start to the series that would come to be known as "The Untold Chronicles."

Jessica Felice

Jessica Felice began her acting career on the stage, doing dinner theater, as well as touring to do children's theater and summer stock. Besides acting on the stage, she also performed as an illusionist and escape artist, both solo and alongside one of the most acclaimed illusionists in the country. One of her highlighted feats was escaping from a straitjacket, an item she still has as one of her prized show biz souvenirs.

Jessica's first film role was in Steve Yeager's The Rosens, in which she played the challenging role of Rachael, whom Jessica describes as a mentally abused friend of the main character, who comes into her own throughout the film. Since then, Jessica went on to further expand her acting range and has become writer-director Shawn Anthony's favorite lead actress. Soulmate: True Evil Never Dies, The Haunted, and the upcoming Manifestation (written by David R. Williams) are a few of Shawn's films Jessica stars in. Her notable TV series roles include episodes of I Was Possessed, the crime documentary Southern Fried Homicide, and Harvest Moon Productions' currently-running Tales of Horror, in which she plays the darkly-seductive Lilith Death.

Also a very talented voiceover actress, Jessica treated me to uncanny and impromptu impressions of Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West, Bubble (from the British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous), and Ms. Swan (from Mad TV) during our recent interview. Just press the play button to hear it all. Above photo by Wicked Photography.

December 4, 2015 interview with Jessica Felice

Kim Acrylic

(Editor's Note: The following interview with Kim Acrylic was conducted exclusively by her fellow author, whose published works are under the name "Ladyaslan." Both ladies graciously gave their permission to have it published here.)

Kim Acrylic, from Seattle Washington, is a poet, recording artist, and indie music journalist, who dedicated her life to poetry at age 15. Since then, she has published four volumes of poetry, and finally an anthology of everything she has written in the book The Myth Behind All Truth, in which artist and musician, Chris Mars, did the cover for.

Kim has worked for several online music and poetry magazines including Punk Globe, The Battered Suitcase and Reviewer magazine. She has been published in several anthologies and blogs including Little Episodes' first volume of poetry Back In 5 Minutes, alongside the likes of Sadie Frost, Clint Catalyst, Lucy Barat, Charlie Sheen, and Michael Madsen. She also collaborated with Andy Warhol, posthumously, for the New Britain Museum of Modern Art by writing a poem inspired by his painting of Manray for the book Visions, Voices, and Verses. As of to date, Kim has two CDs out; Fanfare Meltdown and an E.P Techno Eyes. She continues to collaborate to this day with artists all over the world, and has finished her first novel Rock 'N' Roll Melancholy.

Tales of Horror with Lilith Death

Lilith Death (played by actress Jessica Felice) isn't your typical, campy horror film hostess, if you consider Elvira as such. Lilith delivers a more subtle humor and has been described as a flirty dominatrix-style vixen, who adds levity and nostalgia to the show. As the above teaser from Episode 3 of Harvest Moon Motion Pictures' Tales of Horror reveals, Lilith's alluring manner, enhanced by a sultry British accent, provide an eerily provocative segue to the films featured on the show.

Clara Grace Walker

(Editor's Note: The following interview with author Clara Grace Walker was conducted exclusively by her fellow author, whose published works are under the name "Ladyaslan." Both ladies graciously gave their permission to have it published here.)

Best selling romantic suspense author, Clara Grace Walker, writes about fictional worlds populated with characters living out soap opera style lives. Expect sex, murder, and more than a little back-stabbing inside the pages of her books.

Her debut series, "Desire Never Dies," is comprised of three books, Gratification, Gossip, and Redemption, all of which have made their mark on Amazon’s best seller list. People and circumstances are rarely what they seem in these stories, and getting to the truth can be a dangerous thrill-ride. So hop on board and hang on by your fingertips as you read your way to happily ever after.

Liane Langford - Red is Better

It's been over three years since actress, model, and (no kidding) Reddi-wip heiress Liane Langford has appeared on these pages. Since my last interview with her in October of 2012, Liane signed with a top San Francisco modeling agency and has done shoots with several notable photographers. She was a Vampirette for Pat Johnson's Malevolent Magazine shoot, posed with pink flamingos for Mark Pernal in Florida, was a girl with a gun in black lingerie for Lance Miller, and the flaming red muse for Robert Gifford's above photo illustration.

Liane's film appearances since her last interview here are even more notable. They include Joe Hollow's A Blood Story, which was released earlier this year, and her role as "Brenda the Badass Bartender" in Steve Oakley's Natural Born Filmmakers, which premiered at the Action On Film International Film Festival in September. Among her upcoming films are Ted V. Mikels' 10 Violent Women: Part Two, Cameron J. Scott's The Krokodil Chronicles, and Lawrence W. Nelson's You Found Me, that has a cast chock full of some of the best-known and talented ladies on the indie film scene today.

To find out details on all the aforementioned, as well as much more, including her feelings for Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry and what she has to say to Edward Cullen of Twilight, just press play to have a listen to my latest interview with Miss Langford.

November 17, 2015 interview with Liane Langford

Horror Film Reviewer Lilith Kafka

It's no secret, especially since she introduces herself as Jackie in the above video to kick off her recently launched Youtube channel, that Lilith Kafka is a professional name. However, it's hardly an alter ego. Those who know Jackie Dusza personally or Lilith Kafka professionally, know that she lives and breathes horror and can articulately express her critiques on any of the hundreds of fright films she's seen since childhood.

Launched aptly the day before Halloween and simply titled "Lilith Kafka" (for now, anyway), Lilith's film review channel will focus primarily on the independent horror genera, but she'll also devote some reviews to mainstream horror films and possibly some non-horror films in the future. Lilith is also a big supporter of indie film producers, who often work with limited budgets, so she doesn't believe in piracy. The films she reviews are from her own vast DVD collection or were sent to her by producers. To those indie film producers and directors who follow this site and hadn't heard of Lilith before; remember, you heard of her here first and you can learn a lot more about her in this recent interview.

November 16, 2015 interview with Lilith Kafka

Whatever Happened to Ryu Mi-oh?

The name Ryu Mi-oh won't mean anything to those unfamiliar with Korean nude models who were popular from the mid-90s to early 2000s, but those who know who she is/was (a group that will mainly consist of expats in Korea during that time) will surly appreciate this article.

Ryu Mi-oh was one of the ladies featured here in this 2010 piece on the most notable names ever in Korean adult entertainment. She started her career in front of the camera as a nude model. Her voluptuous image not only graced magazines, she was also featured on such things as advertisement posters and nightclub flyers. She first appeared on the scene in the mid-90s, when the Internet was in its formative years. Even so, it's surprising there's so little information about her online (and I say this after searching Korean sites for her), seeing that she was arguably the most popular nude model in Korea when the Internet became commonplace a few years later.

Friday the 13th Victim, Bree

In all of the entries in the original Friday the 13th franchise, Jason Voorhees usually made very quick work of his victims, slaying most without them even knowing what, much less who, hit them. However, in this scene from 2009 remake of Friday the 13th, Jason takes a moment to savior Bree's fear before impaling her on a pair of antlers.

As for Julianna Guillm, the actress playing Bree in the above scene, she's been busy for over a decade, as her IMDb will show. Despite her extensive acting resume, she'll probably go down in history (among horror fans, anyway) as having the most memorable mammaries in any Friday the 13th film.

What would have been great exposure for Jenn Gundlach and her company

Jenn Gundlach isn't a celebrity or in any form of the entertainment industry. Not even in a behind-the-scenes role. As she describes herself, she's "just a horror fan with too much time and craftiness," who makes and sells some pretty cool items that caught my eye. So cool, that I contacted Jenn about doing a short interview in which she could promote herself and her business during the Halloween season, which should have been her busy season, considering the products she makes.

Immediately after receiving my interview offer, Jenn replied; "Oh I'd love too! What were you thinking?" In short; I told her what I had in mind. She ardently agreed to an interview. I sent her my questions and she subsequently sent me a few messages to let me know she was busy but she would be sending me her replies and/or photos soon, to expect them soon ....but in the end; she simply didn't. Her loss. However, since it is the policy here to never let even unanswered questions go unseen, read on to see my half of what would have been Jenn's interview.

Naturally, since Jenn didn't hold up her end, the name of her company and the products she creates, as well as descriptive words to indicate what her products are, will be ✘✘✘✘'ed out. Above would have been a photo of Jenn, probably holding one of her products.

Paranormal Investigator Ryleigh Black

Standing six feet tall and looking as she does, it should go without saying that Ryleigh Black can't exist without being a photographer's dream. Although she is a model, first and foremost, she's a paranormal investigator who founded Black Cross Paranormal in 2008.

A Chiricahua Native American from southern Arizona, who now calls Providence, Rhode Island home, Ryleigh is also an empath, but didn't realize until her late teens that she wasn't crazy and there were others who shared that ability. For skeptics (such as myself) or those who may think paranormal investigators are charlatans; while that may be true of a few of them in the field, Ryleigh conducts her investigations and operates Black Cross Paranormal with a high level of integrity and professionalism. She's not wrapped up in the hype that can go with her line of work and has even helped clients with issues that weren't brought on by paranormal occurrences.

As we spoke, Ryleigh had just thrown her annual "House of Black" party the previous weekend, and was recovering from an ailment that will unfortunately keep her out of circulation on Halloween, much to her disappointment, and surely the disappointment of others in Providence. Ryleigh tells me she's known as the "Ghost Lady" by local kids, and her house is a very popular stop for area trick-or-treaters. So popular, that parents actually bring kids there by the van loads and police crowd control has been required for the last few Halloweens.

October 29, 2015 interview with Ryleigh Black

In the Dungeon with Onyx Hades

Horror show hostess Onyx Hades (pronounced "On-iks Hay-dees") in set to debut her new Internet show In the Dungeon with Onyx Hades. The show, recorded from Onyx's hauntingly seductive manor, is slated to feature horror film reviews, as well as occasional guests.

Onyx, who's the former co-host of the podcast show Horrorcopia, very recently told me that she'll be hosting In the Dungeon solo. It's scheduled to make its debut on Halloween (just two days away, as this goes to press) but that date may be pushed back to Miss Hades' birthday; November the 4th.

You can catch In the Dungeon with Onyx Hades at it's official Youtube channel. Onyx promises it to be a lot of fun ....and hopefully a little creepy, at times. She likes creepy.

October 28, 2015 interview with Onyx Hades

Creative Corner Interview with Ladyaslan

Anitra DeLorenzo, better known in the literary world as Ladyaslan, made her writing debut in 2007 with Victorian Days and Punk Rock Nights. This quote from a passage in the book should be enough to grab one's attention: "Red may be bold on lips....but I prefer mine naked, without enhancement, so you know exactly what you are getting.” And there's plenty more where that came from. Her follow-up, Lipstick and Absinthe, is a collection of Gothic poetry, short stories, and horror erotica, which Anitra dubs as "R-rated." Due to the abundant favorable reviews those books received, Anitra was invited to be a contributor to the Jamie Collins horror anthologies In the Midnight Hour and Into The Night - A Poetry Anthology.

Being the avid music fan that she is, Anitra has also written about and reviewed some of the most press-worthy indie metal bands currently on the scene. You can check out her article on the band Conquer As They Come in the most recent issue of Gorgeous Freaks Magazine.

Besides her writings, Anitra's is co-host of the The Asylum Radio Show, whose guests have been from as many branches of the entertainment industry as you'll see here at Idol Features. In fact, readers of this site can look forward to seeing Anitra's contributions here in the very near future.

Also a lady with a charitable heart, Anitra donates fifty percent of the proceeds from her Ladyaslan T-shirt sales to Stand for the Silent, an anti-bullying campaign, and the animal sanctuary Wolf Haven International. All accompanying photos to this interview courtesy of Anitra, herself.

Debra Lamb as Ms. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Scream Queen Debra Lamb's talents have been featured on these pages before, but this recently surfaced video of Debra performing at the West Hollywood nightclub Peanuts in 1992 is a gem that many fans have not yet had the pleasure of viewing.

Alexis Iacono

The daughter of an award-winning sports photographer, actress Alexis Iacono began her career on the stage in and around her native New York City. She made the permanent move to Los Angeles exactly two years ago and says she hasn't looked back since. She's given winning performances in such films as Prescott Place, The Black Dahlia Haunting and Dead Sea, and will be seen in upcoming roles in The Ballad of Tennessee Rose, and the Caitlin Kazepis written and directed "short" (even thought its run-time is listed at 75 minutes), The Pipeline.

Alexis also has a strong dance and music background. Her bio states she was a dancer on the MTV show The Grind, and she tells me she is a skilled tap dancer and cellist, even though her cello may now be collecting dust. Oh, and if you're a video gamer, you might recognize her voice. Above photo (taken in 2014, and not exclusively for this interview, but that's okay) courtesy of Alexis, herself.

The Girls of Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead

(Author's Note: This article was originally written for another, now-defunct, site and was "transplanted" here because I don't like to see my work and efforts go to waste [no pun intended]. So and despite the toilet humor aspect of this film, I'm sharing it here, but without any labels, to minimize this becoming a top 10 most viewed article that could end up getting featured on the home page. In fact ....to you reading this; how did you arrive here?)

As I’ve stated before; when it comes to horror flicks with film school production, cheesy, blood-spurting gore effects, laughable scripts, and casts full of former and/or current AV and gravure idols, the Japanese are second to none. And as this is the Halloween season, it’s time to feature another one of these gems from Japan that contains most of the above. (I say most because none of the girls in this one is a JAV alumna.) Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead, has exactly what you’d expect it to have with a title like that, as evident by the film’s official website. However, since this site is only about beautiful women, its female cast members are the focus here and I’ll leave the splatter descriptions and toilet humor for a future review at another site. Featured on the above poster is Arisa Nakamura, who plays the film’s heroine, Megumi.

Ladies of The Coed and the Zombie Stoner

These days, if a filmmaker throws the word "zombie" in a movie title with anything that implies there's going to be some gratuitous T&A, the film's going to get some serious attention from horror fans and pundits. Set it at a summer camp, womens prison, or an institute of higher learning, as we have here, and all the better. Such is the case with last year's comedy-horror, The Coed and the Zombie Stoner. The film's been panned by most reviewers all over the net (including yours truly), but certainly not overlooked. In fact, it may become a cult favorite in the years to come. The film's tagline; "sex, drugs and the walking dead," simply states the content of this gem.

Pictured above is star Catherine Annette, who plays hot lab nerd Chrissie, whose sexiness seems to be well-concealed by her eyeglasses. As so colorfully explained to her by her foul-mouthed sorority president, Chrissie has to snag a frat boyfriend or else she'll get kicked out of her sorority. Although Miss Annette plays a "straight" role, she isn't exempt from popping her top in a brief scene. She also appeared last year in famed B-movie director Fred Olen Ray's After Midnight. She'll be in Josh Eisenstadt's upcoming Spreading Darkness and is "rumored" to be in the slated-for-2017 Vampire Schoolgirls. Click on on either one of Catherine's breasts to play the full trailer for The Coed and the Zombie Stoner.

Alle Connell as Cady's "Ex-Wife" from Mean Girls

It's National Mean Girls day and the Halloween season, so to cover both those occasions with one piece; above is makeup and fashion blogger Alle Connell as Cady Heron's "Ex-Wife" from the Halloween party scene from the cult film Mean Girls. You can see Alle's full tutorial on how to create this look and the outfit at her article at xoVain, where she's the senior contributing editor. You can see much more from Alle at her personal blog and, to save you the trouble of searching, see the Halloween scene with Cady and company after the jump.

Sarah Nicklin

With October here and the Halloween season now in full swing, it's fitting to start out this month with an actress who's appeared in over 60 horror movies. With films like The Disco Exorcist, The Black Dahlia Haunting, and The Sins of Dracula to her credits, Sarah Nicklin has truly earned the title of Scream Queen. As this goes to press, she's preparing to start filming Jordan Pacheco's Blood Pi this month and fans will be able to catch her on Halloween and November 1st at IFCON (Island Fantasy Convention) in Victoria, Canada.

A New England native and Emerson College alumna, Sarah made the move to Los Angeles in 2011. She tells me she didn't set out to become a horror actress, per se, but gravitated toward horror, due to it being the genre in indie films that has the most opportunities and draws the most attention from distributors. She has since made quite a name for herself in the indie horror industry. In my recent interview with Sarah, she revealed to me that besides acting, she also writes, paints, loves the outdoors, is a cat person, and has finally gotten over Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Above photo courtesy of Sarah, herself.

Playboy Playmate Screen Deaths

Few former Playboy Playmates have gone on to have acting careers successful enough to land them starring roles in theatrical release movies. Perhaps it's because being a Playmate has sort of a stigma attached that the girls would have to shake before even being considered for a prominent role in a major film. However, being a former Playmate does have its advantages when it comes to B-Movies and being cast for titillation scenes in larger-budget features.

An excellent case in point is the opening scene of Brian DePalma's 1981 thriller, Blow Out, with Miss April 1979 Missy Cleveland (credited in the film as Amanda Cleveland) as a girl with a terrible scream getting killed in a shower scene in a slasher movie within a slasher movie. Missy herself tragically died August 14, 2001 at the age of 41 from an adverse reaction to prescription medication. Read on to see the aforementioned scene and some other former Playmates being murdered on celluloid.

Heather Dorff

Although she didn't set out to become known as a Scream Queen, actress Heather Dorff has made quite a name for herself in indie horror films. Since 2011, she's won five Best Actress and two Best Female Performance awards for horror films she's starred in and has earned accolades from many of her peers in the industry. One such peer, Jessica Cameron, worked alongside Heather in Jessica's Truth or Dare, and in Alex Mathieson and Damon Rickard's short, The Tour (a still from which is at left). Her performance in the latter earned her one of her Best Actress awards in her hometown, at the 2014 Chicago Horror Film Festival.

Heather is well-traveled, having visited several major US and European cities. One city she visited, although it wasn't for vacation, was New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when Heather spent nine months doing disaster relief work. She now calls LA home but says a move to Europe may be in her future. Also an avid gamer, Heather reveals the way to her heart is through a game of World of Warcraft or perhaps Dead or Alive 2. Read on to find out more in my recent interview with Heather.

Natalie Stephany

Born and raised in San Francisco, actress Natalie Stephany began her acting career on the stage in such plays as Footloose, Beauty and the Beast, and Gypsy, where she had her first speaking role as Baby June. Moving to TV and films enabled her to get her SAG card in 2006 and she's been busy ever since. One of her most recent roles is as the stand-in for Kate Micucci (Garfunkle & Oats, The Big Bang Theory) in the 2016-slated Unleashed.

Looking somewhat ethnically ambiguous and younger than her almost-25 years, allows for Natalie to fill a wide range of roles. Having nice hands has landed her some hand modeling commercial gigs. Knowing how to drive a stick shift led to her picking up a stunt driving credit in a 2010 episode of America's Most Wanted. It was a piece of driving she pulled off skillfully, despite making her feel like she was "about to shit her pants." Natalie tells me she plans on attending stunt driving school in the near future to add that to a regular pert of her repertoire. Read on to see the other topics we covered in this recent interview. Above photo courtesy of Natalie, herself.

Andreea Boyer

Born in Romania near the Bran Castle (more popularly known as Dracula's Castle), Andreea Boyer has had the desire to write and act from an early age. She had three books of her poetry collections published when she was only 15 and she wrote, directed, and co-starred in her short Jamira, and full-length film Mondo Americana, a year later. Currently, Andreea has just finished writing a screenplay for a full length film. She tells me it's an action film and she just sent off her work to an agency in Los Angeles, where she plans to make a return trip in late October. She also has a featured role alongside Tristan Risk (American Mary's "Beatress") in Ulli Lommel's upcoming Boogeyman: Reincarnation.

I found Andreea very charming, with a good sense of humor, and expressive eyes (she tells me change color with her emotions) that convey fervor reminiscent of Hollywood's silent screen stars. One of her favorite topics to talk about is food, which she will at length, especially the dishes she's tried from the countries she's visited. She raved about the simple fish and vegetable meals she had during her stay with the natives of Brazil's Bahia region and also told of an unpleasant experience she had with some bad carpaccio while in Paris earlier this year. Also very health conscious when it comes to food, Andreea says she feels guilty about eating meat ("It makes me feel like a lion when I do," she says), but vegetarianism just isn't for her.

Andreea also tells me she loves to travel and it gives her inspiration for her writings. She was in Paris until the middle of this May and, as of this writing, is back home in Munich. Her travel plans include another trip to the US next year, with Atlanta and San Francisco on her list of cities to visit. The above photo of Andreea on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard last June, is courtesy of Andreea herself.

Lady of the Commercial Drive Licorice Parlour

(The outline of the following article was in my "drafts" file since late October of 2013, when I first made contact with Mary Jean Dunsdon aka "Watermelon" and "Weed Diva" [and I'll show you here how she got both of those nicknames], the owner of Commercial Drive Licorice Parlour in Vancouver, Canada. 

While doing research on Tristan Risk for her July 2013 interview, I learned that her "day job" at that time, was as a sexy sugar baker at the Commercial Drive Licorice Parlour. Seeing the shop is/was owned and operated by an all-female staff, I made note of it at the time for a future article to be entitled "Ladies of the Commercial Drive Licorice Parlour." When I first proposed the idea Mary Jean, she said it sounded like a "sweet & salty idea."

Initially, I got answers from Mary Jean to a couple of my questions for her, but I had more, for her as well as Tristan and the other ladies who worked at her shop. So, I again contacted Mary Jean, keeping Tristan in the loop, in January of 2014 for a follow-up Q&A session. Hopefully, one that would include some of her colleagues. In short; it didn't happen and this article sat in the "drafts" file, which I don't intend to be a permanent home for any article I start. I contacted Mary Jean again in June of this year, to try to get together with her and complete this piece, but that again, ended up not happening. So, what follows is what I got from Mary Jean and what I dug up myself.)

Vancouver's locally-famous Commercial Drive Licorice Parlour is owned by the equally locally-famous Mary Jean Dunsdon. Also know as "Watermelon" and "Weed Diva," (and I'll show you why here) Mary Jean employs an all-female staff. She jokingly told me she considers herself a criminal mastermind because she read somewhere it was illegal to only hire smart, gorgeous, and reliable girls. The ladies creating the goodies at her shop include burlesque queen Tristan Risk, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing for this site in July of 2013.

Korean Belly Dance Team, "Butterfly"

Above is Korean belly dance team "Butterfly" at the Ninth Golden Belly World Belly Dance Art Carnival, which was held in July in Xaimen, China. The 10-member all-female dance troupe, most of whose members hail from Seoul, is directed by Sujee Choi, who's one of Korea's premiere belly dancers and instructors. The ladies competed against 60 other dance teams, from China, Korea, Russia, The Philippines, Singapore, and Argentina. There were also approximately 140 solo performers, one of whom was Butterfly's own Hye-kyoung Lee, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing in February of last year. I spoke with Hye-kyoung after her return to Korea from China and asked her about her group's preparation for and their experiences during the competition.

Ageless Actress Donna Marie Beard

Idol Features editor Chris Charles has graciously invited me to guest-write for this site. Chris previously did an article on my film Remake, or more correctly on The Ladies of Remake. As a debut, I was going to do an article on the ladies of my own film Not Quite Lyin’ Eyes. However, I’m going to start with an interview with my friend Donna Marie Beard (pictured above in a very recent photo), the star of that film. I may cover the rest of the actresses in a subsequent column.

Whatever Happened to the Texas Cowgirls, Inc.?

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are arguably the most famous cheerleading squad in the NFL and have been since the early 1970s. They debuted in 1960 as a co-ed squad called the "CowBelles & Beaux," and by the late 60s, the Cowboys' then-general manager decided an image makeover for their cheerleaders was needed to boost game attendance. The male cheerleaders were dropped in 1969 and in 1970, the outfits were redesigned. Two years later, another outfit modification was made and that design is pretty much what is worn by the ladies today, save for a few minor alterations over the years.

Besides cheering on the Cowboys on game days, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders make personal appearances at shows and events all over the world. Yours truly has caught some of their abbreviated touring squads during their USO tours of military bases in South Korea and Japan. I could go on at length about the DCC, but this article isn't about them. This is about the Texas Cowgirls, Inc., a long-defunct Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' faction formed by ex-Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Tina Jimenez, that first gained (in)famy in the late 1970s. Above is the (in)famous shot for their poster, that ran in the December 1978 issue of Playboy magazine.

Hilary M. Smith

Cal Polytech alumna Hilary M. Smith is primarily a behind-the-scenes person. She's a sound engineer, but does have one notable acting credit on her resume and that's in Patrick O'Bell's 2011 slasher Client 14. Her friend and co-producer of that one, Mo Whelan, asked her to be in it because they "needed a tall chick to kill" and, at 6' 2", Hilary sure fit the bill.

Of course, a lady of considerable height is also bound to have some modeling credits on her resume, as well. She's been on the runway for several LA area shows and events and has also been on stage as one of the most impressively statuesque female versions of the Rocky Horror Show's Frank N. Furter, I've ever seen.

What's even more impressive however, is how Hilary bounced back from a late-2011 car vs. pedestrian (in which she was the latter) accident that would have taken most people a good year or more to recover from, and even then, not fully. Hilary was up and looking as good as new in just four months. She tells about that in my very recent interview with her that follows. Above photo of Hilary at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden courtesy of Hilary, herself.

Bianca Allaine as "Zombinatrix"

October 2018 Author’s Addendum: To date, Zombinatrix is still in the production stages and has had casting changes. The 7-27-15 promo video featured in this piece, with Bianca announcing the ladies who were anticipated to join the cast of Zombinatrix, has long been removed from Biance’s Youtube channel. 

 

With all the zombie/living dead comedy-horrors being released by major studios and independent filmmakers, using "zombie" and "dead" word plays in their titles, these days, it isn't too often I'll hear one that really stops me in my tracks. One that recently did was Bee-Stung Productions' upcoming Zombinatrix with Bianca Allaine as the title character; "Mistress Tawny." It was the title that first grabbed me, but it was the tagline; "She's into whips and brains!" that just wouldn't let go.

The Drendas

The Drendas are an all-female rock band, hailing from Norfolk, Virginia. The ladies; (above, left to right) Denise Lawrence (Bass, backing vocals), Holly Womack (Guitar, lead vocals), and Collette England (Drums, backing vocals) formed in the fall of 2012 and have since made quite a name for themselves around the Tidewater region club circuit, playing their blend of garage rock and surf punk. The band released their debut EP Boy Trouble, in May of last year and have recently released their sophomore EP; Stuck in Your Head. In between their frequent live performances, Holly tells me they plan on recording more songs in the near future with a few different producers in their home city of Norfolk.

Bass Girl, Mascara Messi

Mascara Messi is the bassist for the indie rock band Leopard Bonapart, who've made quite a name for themselves in and around their native Moscow. The band's sound has been described by music journalists and pundits as having elements of glam and rockabilly. Regularly headlining at major venues like Moscow's Hard Rock Cafe and festivals, such as "Rock on the Roof," they're one of the most popular young bands in Moscow and are on the verge of gaining international attention. Mascara tells me that her and her bandmates are currently working on an album scheduled for release this fall, and are planning a tour that will include the United States next spring, but the specific cities have yet to be determined.

What would have been Devanny Pinn's interview

When actress Devanny Pinn, who's a popular Scream Queen, told me to send her an e-mail with my interview questions and said that she was "behind with her interviews," I knew the chances of her replying to my questions were slim and this one would probably end up in the "Incomplete Interviews" file. However, I did some research, sent Miss Pinn my questions, and after some time passed, even offered to settle for a "One Question Interview" (example) if she was too busy to find the time to answer all. Still, no reply. So, as I figured from the start, here are the unanswered questions to Devanny Pinn and at left is where a photo of her would have been, had her interview panned out.

June 27th, 2015 Edit: See Devanny's response to her incomplete interview at the end.

Sarah French Announces 2016 Nude Calendar

Scream Queen Sarah French recently announced her upcoming 2016, limited edition calender, that will feature 13 full nude (not just implied) photos of her. According to Sarah; "the full color calendar will be limited to 200, each one individually numbered and signed. Once they're gone, they're gone for good."

Inkerbella Covers "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"

Above is Bridget Chamberlin-Shoup, known professionally as Inkerbella, honoring a request by yours truly, for a cover of the Tiny Tim ukulele classic, "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." This very recent performance is also much to the enjoyment of PNut and Buttercup, who are contently snoozing behind Bella.

What would have been Melanie Robel's second interview

One of the policies of this website is that even unanswered questions will not go unseen. I don't know why actress Melanie Robel ultimately decided not to respond to the questions I sent her for a second interview here, especially since she brought up the prospect of a second interview to me and seemed pretty darn excited that a film she appears in (A Blood Story, directed by Joe Hollow) will be out on DVD and VOD June 9th (today, as this goes to press).

In fairness to Melanie, she was great during my first interview with her. She gave detailed and thoughtful answers to my questions and even sent two signed photos afterwards, to show her appreciation. All those who've worked with Melanie and I've spoken with, hold her in very high regard, so, not following through on any project seems to be completely out of character for her. I assume she had her reasons not to do this and that's fine. Anyway, what follows are my questions for Melanie Robel. At left is where a recent photo of Melanie would have gone and the photographer would have been given credit here.

Kim Matula - Sex Scene from Dawn Patrol

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Above is a recently leaked sex scene between Kim Matula and Scott Eastwood (yes, Clint's son) from the 2014 thriller Dawn Patrol, which was released just yesterday, as of this posting. The film opened to seemingly mixed reviews, most of which yours truly has read, lean toward the good. One interesting remark by critic Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter was "the worst victim (in the film) is Matula, whose exploitative nude scenes leave a sour aftertaste." I don't know what Mr. Scheck's tastes are, but in the above scene, Miss Matula sure looks sweet to me. She's on Instagram.

Ronnett'a Spencer

Ronnett'a Spencer made her recording debut at the age of seven, when she appeared on the track "Barre Baby," off of rapper Big Moe's 2000 album, City of Syrup. That followed with an appearance on Tow Down's version of Hall and Oates' "Rich Girl," on his 2002 release Chicken Fried Steak. A few years later, she auditioned for American Idol and was on her way to being a contender, due in part to her impressive vocal range. However, as AI rules would have it, she was soon informed that she had to be disqualified because she was underage.

Now 22, the Houston, Texas native and daughter of famed R&B artist Ronnie Spencer, has made a name for herself as a solo performer. She released her debut album, The Beauty of It All early last year and is currently working on a follow-up, with all songs she's written herself.

Whatever Happened to Suzee Pai?

Asian-American model-turned-actress Suzee Pai has the distinction of being Penthouse magazine’s first Asian Pet of the Month, as well as their first Asian cover girl, since she also graced her Pet issue’s cover (at right).

After her appearance as the January 1981 Pet of the Month, Suzee went on to an acting career that lasted through to the early 90s, with her most notable role as Miao Yin in 1986′s now-cult classic Big Trouble in Little China. Her last known film role was in the 1993 TV movie Extralarge: Ninja Shadow and she now resides in the “Whatever Happened to..?” file.

What follows is Suzee’s entire January 1981 Pet of the Month layout, which can be considered fairly mild by Penthouse magazine standards, especially compared to those of Penthouse’s later years.

Marisa Churchill

Celebrity chef Marisa Churchill is well-known for the low-cal pastries and desserts she creates that don't taste low-cal. Her best-selling book, Sweet & Skinny: 100 Recipes for Enjoying Life's Sweeter Side Without Tipping the Scales will tell you how she does it.

A graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, and  the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (in the Northern California city of St. Helena, where some of the region's finest wine is made), Marisa has worked at some of San Francisco's premiere restaurants, including Rubicon, which, unfortunately and despite having several celebrity investors including the late Robin Williams, shut its doors in 2008. Marisa's TV appearances include her being a contestant on the second season of Top Chef. She's also whipped up some of her specialties on The Talk, Access Hollywood as well as a few TV shows in Greece, a country she often visits, where she also enjoys culinary celeb status. When she's not in the kitchen, Marisa, an avid swimmer, can usually be found at wherever the nearest pool or beach is.

I first contacted Marisa for an interview back in July of 2012, a few months after I caught her on the show Eye on the Bay and making note of her name. She promptly replied, stating she'd be happy to do an interview with me, but it just didn't pan out. In January of this year, I decided to forward my original e-mail back to her, to see if we could then make an interview happen. She replied, it seemed like it might happen, but after a while, it still didn't look like it was going to be, so I told her I'd settle for a "one question interview" if she's just pick one of my questions to answer. So, citing her busy scheduled for not having the time to reply to all of my questions, she seemed to like that idea and answered one of my questions, and, for my patience, she said, answered a second. The above photo of Marisa was taken outside of the Kifissia flower show in northern Athens, Greece last month, where Marisa was on hand to whip up some of her famous Sweet & Skinny desserts for those in attendance.

Jackie Dallas

Born in Syracuse, New York, actress and model Jackie Dallas now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, by way of Miami, New York City, and Chicago. Even though she was on the road to a successful medical career, Jackie made the decision to leave medicine and pursue her true passion; acting. Now being able to focus on acting full time, she's landed small parts in a few major productions, such as the soon-to-be-released San Andreas. Her more prominent roles include the very pregnant Maggie in Jay Davis' horror parody, Not Another Zombie Movie....About the Living Dead and Terrell Holden's drama, Catching Broken Glass, in which she portrays a war veteran suffering from PTSD. In addition to that, she made a recent IMDb list of the "Top 40 Asian Actresses Under 40 to Watch for in Hollywood," which is another good indication that she won't be regretting her decision to leave medicine for acting.

Also an experienced model, Jackie, being a car enthusiast, got her start doing import car show modeling at an event she used to bring her car to. She currently has an impressive portfolio that includes a Mélange fashion show and a very recent RAW:natural born artists event, in which she modeled for top San Francisco makeup artist Adrianna Reloba. As of this writing, Jackie's in Atlanta, one of the cities very dear to her, where she's shooting scenes for some yet-to-be-announced film projects. Above photo by Lisa Keating.

What would have been Esther Ku's interview

Esther Ku is a comedienne who relies heavily on joking about Asian stereotypes and blue humor in her act. Since she's cute, the dirty language and jokes get more laughs than they would if she weren't cute or if she were male. I first contacted Esther back in December of 2010 about an interview that was intended for another site I contribute to. She replied, agreed, and asked me to e-mail her my questions, which I did. She never subsequently replied, which sure didn't surprise me. I dug those questions from my sent folder last November while I was retrieving my unreplied-to interview questions for publication. But first, I decided to resend those questions to Esther, with revisions, and let her know the interview would now be intended for this site. Still, no reply and still, no surprise. Above is where a clip of Esther's stand-up act would have been. Instead, enjoy the 5-second test pattern.

Scarlett Dark

Scarlett Dark is the lead singer, keyboardist, and a founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area rock band, Lipshok. Their music is described as "progressive symphonic metal that is unique, gothic, haunting, melodic, ethereal, and highly commercial." At one time a cover band, they now have three albums behind them with a fourth due out later this year, in which most of the songs are penned by Scarlett.

In the mundane world (as she puts it) Scarlett is known as Debbi Douglas; wife, mother, and tennis pro. No kidding ....and her tennis credentials are impressive. As a competitor, Debbi (as I'll refer to her when I'm talking about her tennis career) was ranked as high as number 4 in women's singles in California. In college, she reached number 7 in the NCAA, and was a two time All American. She was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at Cal State Hayward, just last year. Even though many of Debbi's colleagues and students at the Harbor Bay Tennis Club (where she works by day) are aware of her alter ego, Scarlett Dark, this revelation will probably come as a "shok" to Lipshok fans reading this. Just read on to learn more about the Lipshok frontwoman. Above photo of Scarlett performing at the Mojo Lounge in Fremont, is courtesy of Scarlett, herself.

Sunghi Lee and Tahitia Hicks in Mortal Kombat: Conquest

Above is then-28 year-old Sunghi Lee as “Kiri” in an episode entitled “Noob Saibot,” from the short-lived martial arts TV series Mortal Kombat: Conquest. The show aired on the TNT network from October 1998 to May of 1999 with Sunghi in a recurring role as the sexy seer.

This episode originally aired November of 1998, which seemed to be a banner year for the former Playboy model, particularly in her birth country of South Korea, where she made the front pages of entertainment tabloids, released a nude photo book entitled Butterfly, along with some racy “exercise” videos, and even paid a visit to promote her then-recent film A Night on the Water. See this article for details on the that. Miss Lee, who turned 45 on April 1st, shut down her official website in 2011 and retired from modeling and acting to live a domestic life in Southern California.

As for, Tahitia Hicks, the lady playing Kiri’s masseuse and, uh, “confidant” “Ankha” in the above scene, she actually has more film credits for working behind the camera, as a cinematographer, which her IMDb page will detail.

 

Cosplayer Chai Chen Revisited

Chai Chen was featured in my article on cosplay models of the Philippines back in March of 2010. Keeping in loose touch with Chai over the last five years (and having a hard time believing it had been so long), I saw that she was still very much active in cosplay and had developed and taken her costumes and characters to the next level. Of course, her being an avid PSP gamer is how she's developed an encyclopedic  knowledge of comic book superoheroines, game characters, and their roles.

Chinese by blood, with some Spanish and Indian mixed in, the naturalized Filipina, who's been into cosplay since late 2008, describes herself as "a bit childlike but a hella workaholic." Her "day job" as a client services manager at a business process outsourcing (BPO) company keeps her busy, but Chai still makes time to attend events in and around her home country of the Philippines, with an eye on making it to San Diego Comic Con in the not-too-distant future. Above photo of Chai as one of her current favorites; Marvel Comics superheroine Black Widow, by Kira Hokuten Photography.

Hooters Girls - Behind the Breasts and Buffalo Wings

(The following is the first entry in which may be a mulit-part series of pieces on my interactions and candid conversations with current and former Hooters Girls ....but I doubt it.)

Hooters was founded in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida. According to their website, to date, there are over 430 Hooters franchises in 28 countries. Multiply that by the number of servers (known as Hooters Girls) each franchise has employed over the years, and that's tens of thousands of current and former Hooters Girls with a story to tell.

Over the past few years, I've spoken candidly with several current and former Hooters Girls about their experiences as Hooters Girls and their reasons for working at the popular restaurant chain with the double-entendre name. I'm, in no way, implying that working at Hooters should be equated to working at a strip gentlemens club or go go bar. Hooters is a restaurant patronized by the general public. In fact, some may even consider it family friendly. I've seen entire families with young children come into Hooters and sit down for a meal. The girls even brought coloring placemats and crayons to the tables for the kids. However, you don't see servers like these ladies at Denny's or Applebees.

Of course, the girls do have to tolerate a certain amount of leering, sexual innuendos, and flirtation, but many have told me it's a small price to pay in exchange for the gratuities they receive. The tips the girls get at Hooters are much better than what they would get from working as servers at Denny's, Applebees, or even a upper scale restaurant, where the 15%-20% rule is usually followed. Any former or current Hooters girl will tell you that quite often, the amount of the tip will greatly exceed the amount of the check. In addition, the hours and schedules the girls work are more flexible than those at a "regular" restaurant. That's because many of the girls have outside careers they pursue, many in modeling and the performing arts. One for example, "Julie" (photo above, taken in 2010), a tall, Asian-American semi-professional model who worked at the Downtown Phoenix Hooters, enjoyed a sort of celebrity status at her workplace.

Caroline Blind

Singer and guitarist Caroline Bokman currently fronts the San Francisco-based punk metal band Dammit!, but she's probably best-known by most fans as Caroline Blind, from when she was lead vocalist of Sunshine Blind. Described as a "goth/trip hop/darkwave" band, Sunshine Blind was co-founded by Caroline in 1991. Over the next 12 years, they extensively toured clubs throughout the US and released four studio albums before breaking up in 2003.

These days, Caroline calls San Francisco home and she can be seen performing with Dammit! at many of the Bay Area's premiere hard rock venues, such as Oakland's Uptown Nightclub, Johnny V's in San Jose's and the City's own DNA Lounge, where she reunited with Sunshine Blind for a show just last year.

What casual fans may not know about Caroline, is that she holds a BA in psychology and worked as a marriage and family therapist intern. She tells me her goal was to counsel bands and artists, who often have the same issues and dysfunctions married couples face, and those of us who have been in touring bands sure can concur with that. Caroline talks about that and more here in my recent interview with her. Other topics we cover are, why she doesn't have a definitive home town, the possibility of further Sunshine Blind reunions, and her current gig with Dammit!, in which she now may be handling bass, as well as vocal duties, on a permanent basis.

What would have been Elissa Dowling's interview

As stated in a few previous posts; sometimes, despite good efforts, some interviews just don't pan out. However, I'm not going to let the time I spend researching the interviewee and coming up with good and pertinent questions, go to waste, as one can see from viewing all the incomplete interviews that have been published at this site.

I published this brief piece on actress Elissa Dowling back in March, as sort of a lead-in to the interview she'd agreed to. Since it didn't happen, here are almost all of the questions I'd planned on asking her. I say "almost" because, after she previewed them, she informed me she'd pass on answering a couple for privacy reasons, which was fine with me. At left is where her photo would have gone and I would have given photo credit to the photographer here.

Midori Amae

At exactly six feet tall, with 34-26-36 stats, it could go without saying that top fashion model Midori Amae has walked runways for some of the biggest name designers and appeared at some of the most prominent  events in the fashion industry, such as those staged during the semi-annual New York Fashion Week. Fans of America's Next Top Model can look forward to seeing Midori on the show's upcoming Cycle 22. She'll go into that competition as the number two fan favorite. She tells me she wasn't planning on auditioning for the show, but did because she happened to be at home and have the day off when auditions were being held in nearby Arlington, Virginia in January. (As of this writing, no air date has been announced for Cycle 22, but the show's Facebook fan page will post it as soon as it's set.) She was also recently named creative director for i-Fashion magazine.

Despite her hectic schedule and frequent traveling, I was fortunate enough to be able to speak to Midori at length earlier this month. And to dispel a sort of myth about high class fashion models; I found her to be very down-to-earth with a great sense of humor and not pretentious at all. Besides her modeling, our topics included sports, food, one of her favorite charities, and her mild obsession with wearing glasses with no lenses. Above photo by Steve Bennett.

The Ladies of The Last Beautiful Girl

Over the last few years, Austin, Texas-based Twitchy Dolphin Flix has become known for producing movies featuring some of the brightest young actresses in independent films. One of their latest productions, The Last Beautiful Girl, is no exception. With a cast that includes alumnae from other award-winning Twitchy Dolphin productions such as Snatch 'N' Grab, Abram's Hand, Goin' Guerrilla, and DisAssociationVille, it's a good bet that The Last Beautiful Girl will be receiving accolades at independent film festivals around the country. The script is said to already be on the film festival circuit and has made it to the finals in two of those festivals.

Described by the film's writer and director James Christopher as a "romantic dramedy exploring the first time you fall in and out of love," the The Last Beautiful Girl is currently in the pre-production stages. With all of the parts cast, and trailers shot, the film is slated to begin shooting in May. At right are 3 of the 16 ladies who'll be appearing in the film; Shelby Cullinan, Morgan Floyd, and Shelby Surdam, who have featured roles as sisters. Read on to see the entire female cast and a little info on each of them.

Kimmie Yan

If it weren't for Arielle Brachfeld, a talented actress I interviewed last month, starring in a film that's currently in production entitled Day For Night, Kimmie Yan  might have slipped under my radar. Kimmie is one of the producers of Day For Night (which is not a remake of the 1973 film of the same title), and to say she's excited about the project is an understatement.

Even though Kimmie tells me Day For Night is the first feature film in which she's been one of the primary producers, she's far from a novice when it comes to producing and the behind-the-scenes workings of films and show biz. A graduate of Boston University, Kimmie has an impressive resume that includes music supervisor on 2014's Dawn Patrol, associate producer on 2012's The Devil's Carnival, and less recently, a stint as operations manager at West Hollywood's (in)famous Viper Room.

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Kimmy about her recent projects, as well as the many unglamorous behind-the-scenes jobs and tasks she's had, the possibility of someday producing her own cooking show (she's a self-confessed foodie) and her mild obsession with Star Trek: The Next Generation. The above photo from a very recent shoot with J. Michaels, is courtesy of Kimmie.